New sentencing act is going to free thousands of prisoners in September?

 

New sentencing act is going to free thousands of prisoners in September?

No, the early prisoner release scheme originally scheduled for September 2026 has been officially paused.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a suspension of the policy to conduct an "urgent review" aimed at minimizing public risk. While the government is reviewing the situation, the details of the original plan, the reasons for the pause, and the next steps have created a significant national debate.

The Original September Plan

The Sentencing Act 2026 was passed earlier this year to tackle severe prison overcrowding. Under its "earned progression model," around 6,000 prisoners in England and Wales were scheduled to be released early in monthly phases starting September 2, 2026. The key changes included:

• Standard sentences: Moving standard fixed-term prisoners from releasing at 50% of their sentence to just 33% (one-third) behind bars.
• Serious offences: Moving certain serious violent and sexual offenders from a two-thirds release point to a halfway (50%) release point.
• Exclusions: The most serious criminals, including those serving life sentences or subject to extended monitoring, were entirely excluded from the scheme.

Why the Scheme Was Paused

The decision to pause the scheme followed intense public backlash and political pressure. The PM's decision comes after the widow of a police officer - killed when he was dragged behind a getaway car - described the possibility of his killers' early release as "deplorable" as noted by the BBC.

The family of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in 2019, discovered that two of his killers (sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter) would eventually become eligible for early release under the new framework. This sparked widespread outrage among victims' advocacy groups and the public.

Current Status and Next Steps

• No immediate releases: Prime Minister Burnham confirmed that “no prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public.” according to the BBC.
• Scope of the review: The Justice Secretary stated that the government will closely re-examine "who might leave and when they would leave". The review will likely look into tightening eligibility, specifically regarding violent and sexual offenders.
• The capacity crisis: While the pause has been welcomed by victims' families, prison staff and unions have warned it is a "bonkers decision" that leaves very little "headroom". Without the planned releases, cells will continue to fill up rapidly, threatening to push the prison estate back into an active space crisis by autumn